Minor League Games - Saturday, April 28, 2018

[kikutaro]

Scranton/WB RailRiders (10-10) @ Lehigh Valley IronPigs (9-10) 6:35 pm | Gameday
Chance Adams (0-1, 4.82) vs. Enyel De Los Santos (1-0, 1.98)
(postponed: rain)

Notable

Enyel De Los Santos 0.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0K, game score: 40

Reading Fightin Phils (8-12) @ Portland Sea Dogs (6-12) 5:00 pm | Gameday
Elniery García (0-1, 9.53) vs. Dedgar Jimenez (0-2, 5.40)
(postponed: wet grounds)

Notable

Elniery Garcia 0.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0K, game score: 40

Clearwater Threshers (8-15) @ Dunedin Blue Jays (9-13) 6:30 pm | Gameday
Sixto Sanchez (1-1, 3.71) vs. Justin Dillon (0-3, 4.82)

Notable

Arquimedes Gamboa 2-4, RBI, SB
Adam Haseley 0-4, 3 K
Austin Listi 1-4, R, RBI, HR, K
Edgar Cabral 1-3, BB

Sixto Sanchez (W, 1-1), 7.0 IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 2K, game score: 71
Jeff Singer (S, 2), 2.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 0K

Kannapolis Intimidators (14-9) @ Lakewood BlueClaws (13-10) 4:05 pm | Gameday
Blake Battenfield (1-1, 2.18) vs. Connor Brogdon (1-1, 4.15)

Notable

Dalton Guthrie 0-5, R, 3 K
Nick Maton 2-4, 2B, BB
Colby Fitch 0-3, 2 BB, K
Danny Mayer 2-5, R, 2B, 2 K
Kevin Markham 0-4, R, 3 K
Rodolfo Duran 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR
Josh Stephen 2-4, R, RBI, HR

Connor Brogdon 5.0 IP, 7H, 3R, 3ER, 1BB, 5K, game score: 50
Luis Carrasco 3.0 IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 3BB, 1K
Randy Alcantara 2.0 IP, 2H, 1R, 0ER, 2BB, 2K
Addison Russ (W, 3-0), 1.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1K

(click on the start time for box scores)

[Clawsgirl22]

Reading was moved to 5pm due to field conditions

[phillychuck]

Raining in Lehigh Valley tonight. Game might be iffy; it's supposed to continue.

[andyb]

No Ortiz in Lakewood the last few days. Injury? Or XST demotion?

[harrisburghusker]

Nice start by Sixto

[schillingfan]

Hey phriends who phollow the minors. I really don't other than what I read on here. Seems like this year the minor league game threads have been really good. I know I'm asking for more work from you because I don't care enough to look it up myself, but what does "nice start" by Sixto mean?

I really do miss the info and commentary. You all do good work. Thanks

[schooldoc]

Ortiz was placed on the DL. Not sure what the injury is.

I also don't know what the injury to Simon Muzziotti is, but he's on the DL too.

[phillychuck]

Sixto pitched 7 innings, gave up 4 hits, walked 1, but only struck out 2. Very effective, giving up only 1 run (earned) and winning the game 2-1. Saved by Jeff Singer.

Great comeback by Lakewood winning 5-4 in extra innings, but both Moniak and Haseley were hitless.

[schillingfan]

Gracias.

[EDmuch]

At some point there needs to be accountability for wasting first round picks in back to back years on 2 outfielders who seemed destined for mediocrity at best.

[phillychuck]

I honestly don't mind if first-round draft picks get to the big leagues and can't hack it there. When first-round draft picks struggle in A-ball your scouts need to be replaced.

[kmc1019]

You said 2 outfielders. Do you mean 3 with Randolph? Or are you giving Haseley the benefit of the doubt in his first full year?

[EDmuch]

Ok, make it 3.

[zambonir]

The question is, who's accountable? Randolph was a Gillick/Amaro/Almaraz pick. Klentak and MacPhail were six months in for the Moniak draft but the scouting apparatus was largely inherited (and we know Gillick and Manuel were among the people who personally scouted him). Obviously Klentak owns it all now, or Almaraz would already be gone instead of being trusted with a fourth draft. And punting away picks in what should be the last year drafting high isn't looking so great right now either, despite the major league results.

Seems like sending MM to Clearwater was a mistake, not that it would make anyone feel any better if he was repeating.

[Squire]

Lakewood has more than their fair share of injuries....Ortiz, Muzzioti, Matos and Stobbe.

[bigegypt0417]

Or accountability for jumping the gun and making statements that can't be made yet.

[EDmuch]

Fans r not paid to perform a professional service so such snarggy comments r based upon a false equivalency.

[andyb]

Randolph was a Gillick/Amaro/Almaraz pick. Klentak and MacPhail were six months in for the Moniak draft but the scouting apparatus was largely inherited (and we know Gillick and Manuel were among the people who personally scouted him)

This is true, but one could also say that the prioritization of a hit tool among hitters is shared publicly by Klentak so it is not as if these choices are at odds with his philosophy. Being new for "only" 6 months is no excuse at all for Moniak. As we all know, everyone scouts the players available at 1-1. Klentak and MacPhail included and the dozen or so players in the mix for number one were well known. Senzel was not some surprise out of nowhere. Neither was Puk.

Bigger question is whether they have learned anything. I am nowhere near dismissing Haseley but he sure looks like a lower ceiling player than one would want from that draft slot. And overpaying for that slot caused us to go with somewhat safe college pitchers at 2 and 3. Howard is pitching great, but is also a 3-year college player at Lakewood which means he should be pitching great. Seabold did not need Lakewood but also may not have the stuff to be more than a 5th starter so an uneven Clearwater start is no surprise with him.

If we have learned and adjusted then that is great. Our drafts have not been a disaster as there are some good stories sprinkled in there too (and I repeat Haseley is still a decent prospect). It is probably fair to say though that our drafts have been only average at best in their return so far the past few years.

[allentown]

Agreed. Klentak pushes hard on the hit tool, and Moniak would certainly be a far better player if he actually possessed an elite hit tool. Unfortunately, he seems to possess an below average MLB hit tool, perhaps about a 45 grade. He harkens back more to earlier Phillies draft picks, where we fell in love with speed plus CF defense. Got that in spades with Quinn and it didn't take a 1.1 to achieve it. Randolph remains a bizarre first round pick. Again, supposed to possess a plus hit tool, but it's hard to see how he would grade above 50 based upon current scouting. Combine that with LF-only OF defense, slow foot speed, and the wan hope that he will eventually achieve 20-HR power, and one has to ask "what the heck were they thinking? -- a LF without power or speed and not all that great a defensive LF at that. That's the profile of a 3rd or 4th rounder, where you're gambling on power magically developing. The development staff tried to force the issue, changing his swing to provide power (I guess what else were they to do, his profile was fairly worthless 5th OF ceiling before the change in swing) and that tanked contact. Haseley seems the most successful to date, but hasn't shine at all at any level. Three number ones, zero hot prospects. Yes, accountability is called for.

I agree, thus far it looks like nothing has been learned. We'll see what they do this year.

We need a return to the days of Arby. Gillick's vaunted ability as a scout seems wholly unwarranted. He needs to be put out to pasture.

I think the actual scouts are probably fine, maybe better than fine. We don't seem to do all that badly once we get past the primo picks, where the mucked-up muckety-mucks rule the draft room. The fewer fat thumbs in the pie and the more scout's instincts are relied upon, the better we seem to do. Nola is our shining first round success story. Other than that, it's back to Hamels. And please don't reply 'but Crawford!'. At present, he looks very ordinary, as he has at every minor league stop.

[California_Dreamin]

Sheeesh, this early season minor league season has been one of the toughest I can recall since the team's system got better. Almost no one that I was counting on has shined yet, and the disappointments are quite alarming. One thing I am prepared to believe....the organizations new found religion of taking pitches and making hurlers work might be stifling some of the young hitters, who were always taught to hack away before.

Trust me, this is hard for a minor leaguer to do...the thought process is almost always that you have to hit well to advance and then suddenly you are told to exhibit patience at the plate, tough to do, The worst thing a young hitter can do is think too much, and that well may be an explanation for the wildly poor performances of some of our supposedly better hitting prospects.

At least I hope this is the case, if not then I suspect we fall out of the top 10 minor league systems this year unless we have a tremendous draft and great rookie league teams.